Riding the Crest and Working the Spine

I’m starting to feel pretty bad for those of you who like to read/view my site for climbing photos.  I swear I’m still climbing, just not getting out to shoot photos.  But hang in there, I predict climbing photos fairly soon.  If you have suggestions for a really beautiful line, definitely let me know.

Yesterday, in celebration of the amazing and joyous holiday of Pioneer Day, Sarah, Ebbe and I rode the Wasatch Crest Trail.   Although this is one of the best rides in Utah, we rarely do it due to the dog restrictions in the Salt Lake Watershed.  Given we had the day off of work, we decided to ride the entire route from the parking area on the road to Guardsmen Pass to the parking lot at the top of Mill Creek Canyon.  From here, we rode up the Big Water Trail to Dog Lake and back down Mill D North to our car (we shuttled the road part).

The test piece of this trail is a short section called the Spine.  In my mind, there is the Spine, and then the Spine Junior.  The Junior part basically means you ride some steep rocky terrain, with no, or little exposure, bypassing the true Spine.  The true Spine rides a narrow rocky ridge for 100+ feet with A LOT of exposure on each side.  I’ve riden the Junior version a few times and thought it was time to try the real thing.  Although I didn’t ride the whole thing, I was pretty happy with riding about 75% of it, and not dying.  There was one section in the middle that I put my foot down for, and then I didn’t ride the exit (not as much exposure, but much steeper).  Next time!

Now for the photos of a few spots on the trail.

Sarah Young on the Wasatch Crest Trail. Copyright Nate Young and Crux Photo.

Sarah Young on the Wasatch Crest Trail. Copyright Nate Young and Crux Photo.

Sarah Young on the Wasatch Crest Trail. Copyright Nate Young and Crux Photo.

~ by cruxphoto on July 25, 2008.